This invention generally relates to a device for maintaining ingredients separate in liquid food products until the time of use, and more particularly, to such improvements as used with standard beverage bottles or cans.
In the storage of liquid foodstuffs, and particularly beverages, the food product can have better flavor, have a longer shelf life, be made without preservatives, and/or can use less stable or unstable ingredients if certain of the ingredients can be stored separately from the carrier liquid until the food product is to be consumed. For example, a beverage can have better taste if the flavoring can be stored in dry form and mixed with the carrier liquid just prior to use. Some flavorings, oils, vitamins, supplements, medicines, and other ingredients when mixed with water, soda, or other liquid media are unstable, and therefore may not be used with currently sold beverages and liquid mixtures. Oxygenated water is known to have health benefits but is chemically reactive, and therefore flavors, vitamins, supplements, and pharmaceuticals cannot be combined with it in a stored product. Many beverages, sauces, and condiments require high levels of preservatives to control fermentation with sugar content.
Prior devices have been proposed for storing ingredients separately from the carrier liquid until the product is to be used, however they have a number of disadvantages. Some devices, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,779,372, 5,529,179, 5,431,276, and 5,885,635, for example, have a burstable compartment attached to the underside of the container lid or cap which is burst open to mix ingredients into the carrier liquid by levering a puncturing tab or depressing a plunger element with an applied pressure. However, these devices may be unsafe or messy to use since a high applied pressure must be used to burst open the compartment, and may cause the ingredients spew out of the container or back toward the user.
Other devices, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,275 3,225,915, or 5,064,073, for example, have a sub-compartment formed in the container top or held in the container neck with can be accessed by removing an outer seal strip, flap, or membrane. However, these devices are not suitable for the current vending machine environment, since the outer sealing member can become accidentally dislodged or punctured during transport or handling.
Some devices, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,024,952, 4,221,291 and 4,264,007, for example, have one or more sub-compartments formed inside the container on the underside of the container lid or cap which have a tilting or gate type element that is actuated by releasing or applying pressure to a component from the outside of the container lid or cap. These types of devices have the disadvantage that the ingredients are completely discharged into the liquid upon release, and cannot be metered or controllably added to the liquid according to the tastes of the user.
Another device, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,011, for example, has a removable sub-container with removable seal which rests in the container neck covered by the container cap until it is ready to be used. However, this type of device has only a single compartment and does not have provision for easily metering ingredients into the container after the seal is opened.
Other types of devices, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,011, for example, have a sub-container formed with one or more sub-compartments which is mounted to the underside of the container cap. However, the sub-compartments in these devices are disposed at opposite ends of the sub-container element and are opened by threaded elements, thereby making them costly to fabricate and awkward to use.
The present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior devices by providing improved structures for holding ingredients separately within a container which is inexpensive to manufacture, convenient and easy to use, and prevents accidental unsealing or release during shipping or handling.
In accordance with the present invention, a device for use with a container having a removable container cap comprises a sub-container body having means for removably mounting it in the container beneath the container cap, said sub-container body being formed with squeezable plastic outer walls and at least one inner divider wall dividing the interior of the sub-container body into a plurality of compartments, wherein each compartment has a respective dispensing orifice, and an ingredient contained in the respective compartment is controllably dispensed through the orifice by squeezing on a part of the squeezable plastic outer walls corresponding to the compartment.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the device has a sub-container body in cylindrical form having a proximate end mounted to an underside of the container cap, and at least one inner divider wall aligned in parallel with a cylinder axis of the sub-container body dividing the interior of the sub-container body into a plurality of axially oriented compartments, wherein each compartment has a dispensing orifice formed at a distal end of the sub-container body and an ingredient contained in the compartment is controllably dispensed through the orifice by squeezing on a part of the squeezable plastic outer walls corresponding to the compartment.
In a second embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form having a proximate end detachably mounted to an underside of the container cap, and at least one inner divider wall aligned in parallel with a cylinder axis of the sub-container body dividing the interior of the sub-container body into a plurality of axially oriented compartments, wherein each compartment has a dispensing orifice formed at the proximate end of the sub-container body and an ingredient contained in the compartment is controllably dispensed through the orifice by detaching the proximate end of the sub-container body from the container cap and squeezing on a part of the squeezable plastic outer walls corresponding to the compartment.
In a third embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form having a proximate end mounted to a collar adapted to be held on a neck of the container by the container cap, said sub-container body having at least one inner divider wall aligned in parallel with a cylinder axis of the sub-container body dividing the interior of the sub-container body into a plurality of axially oriented compartments, wherein each compartment has a dispensing orifice formed at a distal end of the sub-container body and an ingredient contained in the compartment is controllably dispensed through the orifice by removing the sub-container body from the container neck and squeezing on a part of the squeezable plastic outer walls corresponding to the compartment.
In the above-described embodiments, predetermined portions of the squeezable plastic outer walls corresponding to the respective compartments are formed with an area of lesser wall thickness than that of surrounding portions of the outer walls, such that the thinner wall areas can be squeezed more readily to dispense ingredients from the respective compartments.
In a fourth embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form having a proximate end mounted to an underside of the container cap, and at least one inner divider wall aligned transverse to a cylinder axis of the sub-container body dividing the interior of the sub-container body into a plurality of transversely oriented compartments, wherein each compartment has a dispensing orifice formed at a predetermined position of the outer walls and an ingredient contained in the compartment is controllably dispensed through the orifice by squeezing on a part of the outer walls corresponding to the compartment opposite from the orifice.
In accordance with a fifth embodiment of the invention for use with a container having a fixed container top and a pull-tab with a pull portion, a tab portion removably covering a tab opening in the container top, and a center fixture detachably mounted to an outer surface of the container top, the device comprises the container top being formed with a plurality of exterior wells positioned on radially spaced sides from the pull tab and recessed into the outer surface of the container top, said exterior wells having respective sub-container vessels of matching shape carried therein with upper surfaces thereof disposed evenly with the outer surface of the container top, each said sub-container vessel having a radially inward portion thereof being held and protected by the pull tab in its unremoved position, wherein when the pull tab is removed from the container top the sub-container vessels can be removed from their respective exterior wells for dispensing of their respective ingredients.
In a sixth embodiment, the device comprises the container top being formed with an exterior well positioned on a radially spaced side from the pull tab and recessed below the outer surface of the container top, said exterior well having a sub-container vessel of matching shape carried therein with an upper surface thereof disposed evenly with the outer surface of the container top, said sub-container vessel being divided into a plurality of compartments each having a dispensing orifice for dispensing a respective ingredient therefrom, said sub-container vessel having a radially inward portion thereof being held and protected by the pull tab in its unremoved position, wherein when the pull tab is removed from the container top the sub-container vessel can be removed from the exterior well for dispensing of the ingredients from the respective compartments.
In a seventh embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form, removably mounted in a neck of the container and covered by the container cap, having a proximate end with inclined walls leading to a central opening and an annular flange adjacent the inclined walls, such that when the sub-container body is removed from the container neck, the proximate end can be inserted into the neck opening until the annular flange abuts the neck rim, whereby ingredients contained in the sub-container body can be dispensed into the container without risk of spilling or splashing outside the container. The sub-container body may be mounted to the underside of the container cap, or held by its annular flange between the cap and the rim of the container neck. The inclined walls and annular flange serve to guide the proximate end positively into the neck opening and be held securely in place.
In an eighth embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form, removably mounted in the container neck and covered by the container cap, having a proximate end with inclined walls leading to a central opening, an annular flange adjacent the inclined walls, and an inner wall parallel to its cylindrical axis dividing the interior of the sub-container body into a plurality of axially oriented compartments, wherein each compartment is formed with a dispensing orifice at the proximate end of the sub-container body, each orifice being separately sealed, such that when the sub-container body is removed from the container neck and one or more of the compartment orifices is selectively unsealed, the proximate end can be inserted into an opening in the container neck with the annular flange abutting an upper rim of the neck, whereby ingredients contained in the selected compartments can be dispensed into the container without risk of spilling or splashing outside the container.
In a ninth embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form which is removably mounted in the container neck and covered by the container cap, having a proximate end provided with an annular flange fixed to its outer surface and screw threads formed on the outer surface of the proximate end on an upper side of the annular flange, the container neck having complementary inner threads on an inner surface recessed in the neck opening, such that when the sub-container body is removed from the container neck, the proximate end of the sub-container body can be inserted in and threaded to the inner surface of the container neck until its annular flange abuts the rim of the neck, whereby ingredients in the sub-container body can be dispensed by shaking or mixing with fluid in the container without risk of spilling or splashing outside the container. The outer threading of the sub-container body and inner threading of the container neck and the annular flange allow the parts to be securely held together. Sealing films may be provided on upper and lower sides of the annular flange.
In a tenth embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form which is removably mounted in the container neck and covered by the container cap, said sub-container body having a proximate end with an annular flange fixed to its outer surface and screw threads formed on the outer surface of the proximate end on an upper side of the annular flange, the container neck having complementary inner threads on an inner surface recessed in the neck opening, the sub-container body having an inner wall parallel to its cylindrical axis dividing the interior of the sub-container body into a plurality of axially oriented compartments, wherein each compartment is formed with a dispensing orifice at the proximate end of the sub-container body, each orifice being separately sealed such that when the sub-container body is removed from the container neck, one or more of the compartment orifices can be selectively unsealed, and the proximate end of the sub-container body can be inserted into and threaded to the inner surface of the container neck until the annular flange abuts with the neck rim, whereby ingredients in the unsealed compartments can be dispensed by shaking or mixing with fluid in the container without risk of spilling or splashing outside the container. The plurality of compartments and separately sealed orifices allow different ingredients to be selectively dispensed in the container. Sealing films may be provided on upper and lower surfaces of the annular flange.
In an eleventh embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in cylindrical form which is integrally formed with the container cap so as to be removably mounted in the container neck, said sub-container body having a hollow interior therein which is covered by an outer flap, and having a proximate end provided with an annular flange which is connected to a depending flange for the container cap having screw threads formed on its inner surface facing inwardly for engagement with screw threads on an outer surface of the container neck. The hollow interior of the sub-container body may be used to hold a single or multi-compartment container therein, or to hold other objects such as capsules or prizes.
In a twelfth embodiment, the device comprises a sub-container body in annular ring form which is mounted between inner and outer depending annular flanges of the container cap, said container cap having an inner bore provided with screw threads on an inner surface thereof facing inwardly for engagement with screw threads formed on an outer surface of the container neck, wherein said sub-container body in annular ring form has at least one compartment formed therein for holding separate ingredients which is provided with a dispensing orifice for dispensing the ingredients into the container neck. The sub-container body may have multiple compartments distributed around its annular ring form.
With these improved devices, multiple ingredients can be safely stored separately from the carrier liquid and conveniently used and selectively dispensed into the container according to the user""s tastes. Thus, a wide range of new liquid food products can be provided with better flavor, longer shelf life, and using otherwise unstable ingredients, and without any or with reduced amounts of preservatives.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be explained in the following detailed description of the invention having reference to the appended drawings.